EliteXC promoter Gary Shaw phoned Diaz's manager Cesar Gracie early Tuesday with the news that the league was killing the fighter's appearance on the May 11 Dream card. Diaz will make his next scheduled contest versus Muhsin Corbbrey at 160 pounds June 14 on the Showtime-televised EliteXC card from Honolulu, Hawaii.
Representatives for Fight Entertainment Group, which expected to promote Diaz's welterweight bout this weekend versus Katsuya Inoue, did not respond to requests for comment.
On Sunday, Gracie aimed to make it clear that his side was not to blame for the confusion that had two of MMA's top promoters battling.
"We put these two organizations in contact with each other," he said. "They were supposed to figure it out but there was some miscommunication somewhere."
With Shaw, apparently, unaware as little as two days ago of an upcoming bout for the 24-year-old Diaz that conflicted with next month's EliteXC, members of both promotional camps spoke Monday to find a suitable conclusion.
Having accepted a bout for Diaz, that was subsequently cancelled on Dream's April 29 offering, EliteXC's concern stemmed from the proximity of the May 11 fights, set for live broadcast on HDNet, with the company's June 14 offering headlined by a lightweight title bout between KJ Noons and Yves Edwards.
Tentatively slated to fight on the same card, welterweight Jake Shields told SI.com via text messaging that his father and manager Jack Shields planned to speak with EliteXC on Tuesday. Shields participation on the June 14 bill fell in doubt when Drew Fickett, his opponent for the organization's vacant welterweight belt, fell off the card with an injured knee.
